Projected Memory:

I find it interesting the way in which imagery is used to convey ideas constantly throughout the text. When speaking of Novack and the way in which she represents herself as “branded by the harrowing memory of Nazi genocide” (p 266) she could be taken quite literally because she body is “inscribed with the story of those other children”. By doing this the children loses their physical boundaries and “merge with one another”. I think this shows the way in which no one child stands alone but each one can be a representation for the other, “the faces are stripped of individuality” (p 271). The text goes on to say that by simply looking at the image, “we enter its space, the visual space of postmemory”. Postmemory is described as a powerful form of memory because of its connection with objects. Perhaps this gives readers some insight as to why or even how people in general and those in holocaust can be attached to objects even after something tragic has taken place. Postmemory is further described as “The relationship of children of survivors of cultural or collective trauma to the experiences of their parents, experiences that they 'remember' only as the stories and images with which they grew up, but are so powerful, so monumental, as to constitute memories in their own right"(267). This reminds me of the discussion we had in class about the younger generations of Jews not fully understanding what the experience of the Holocaust was like. I think that its important that this generation continue to use imagery as we have been in museums and galleries to serve as our own form of post memory.

What constitutes memory? This is primarily the question being asked by Marianne Hirsch in Projected Memories-- and it's a very complicated one. What struck me most when reading the piece was the idea that memory is not composed of snapshot images, but of an intricate blend of emotions, thoughts, and powerful impressions--- the whole experience of life contributes to the way our memories are formed.
I couldn't help but think of some of the most moving and disturbing pictures I've seen from events which took place (or are taking place) during my lifetime--- the 9/11 attacks, the genocide in Darfur, or the terror attacks which wreak havoc in Israel on a too-frequent basis. I may not have seen the buildings fall, but I felt the panic and grief of the situation in a major way. The emotions associated with that day have always been a part of my "human experience", but the images accompanying my own perceptions made it even more profoundly personal for me. Now there are dust-covered faces running across a bridge (faces that could have been mine or my family member's), whereas before there was a blank, to be filled with faceless horror. The images make my own memories of the terrible event that much sharper. It is interesting that merely seeing pictures of people I don't know changes the way I remember that day, especially since I didn't see those pictures until months later. However, I know that they do, and that the change is meaningful.
For me, Projected Memories was illuminating and revealing--- I know I will never look at a photographic image, either of myself or of other people or things, without considering it, even on an unconscious level, as part of a vast temporal, spatial, and creative way of producing memories.

My "Projected Memory: Holocaust Photographs"

1. Maydonik: The hole where the Zyklon B (gas) was dropped in.

2. Maydonik: Inside a gas chamber.

3. Maydonik: Inside a shower.

4. Birkenau: Toilets

5. Birkenau: Water-filled pit where bodies were burnt and buried (many while still alive) when the ovens were unable to keep up.

6. Maydonik: A small fraction of the many many (literally) tons of shoes confiscated from prisoners of the camp.

7. Maydonik: A row of “barracks”.

8. Maydonik: “…The three-story plank beds held the average of 500 people…”

9. Maydonik: Inside a “barrack”.

10. Maydonik: A row of ovens in one of the crematoriums.

11. Maydonik: An oven.

--Ian Herman

A Picture Is Worth A Million Words.

After reading Projected Memories by Marianne Hirsch, I realsize that pictures weigh more heavily than mere words. There is a saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt", this stresses the point that the verbal, and written stories of many personal accounts of individuals who experienced the Holocaust somehow delivers less of the pain, and hardships these people endured, but the sight of a picture of an individual during this time would speak volumes. Today, many of us have prior knowledge of the Holocaust story, but when we come across a photo of someone who experienced this cruel act, the image allows our imagination, and emotions to run wild. Many of the photographs featured in this article seem to have a common theme flowing through, they all include pictures of children. When one looks at these children you can visualize the difficulties they encountered, by the way they were dressed, by their bittersweet smiles, and this leads us to think about the struggles their parents had to put up with inorder to maintain their well-being. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a million words. Then, this pushes me to ask the questions, "why do these picture surface?", "why would anyone want to see such horrible, difficult times?","by showing these pictures to the second generation, does it help in their understanding, or does it intensify the situation?"
Well, this is where Hirsch goes on to explore the notion of Postmemory is described as "the relationship of children of surviviors of cultural or collective trauma to the experiences of their parents, experiences that they 'remember' only as the stories and images with which they grew up, but are so powerful, so monumental, as to constitute memories in their own right"(267). From this quote, we see that the second generation Jews do not fully understand the horiffic event of the Holocaust, and the dangers their ancestors faced at that time. This is the exact experience Artie from the last reading, Maus encountered, he retold the story of his father's Holocaust experience, as a form of closure for himself. Above all, pictures, comic sketches, photographs, stories, and written volumes all forms in which light is being shed on the horrendous, and unforgettable time of the Holocaust. An attempt for some individuals to get closure, for some to relive the experience, and for some a way to connect to someone or something, and feel like you belong, and less of an outsider in society.

Memories

After reading Maus, and understanding the exile Vladek suffered, the article: Projected Memories by Marianne Hirsch was easily connected. Both Vladek and the people in Hirsch’s article seemingly find it difficult fitting into the contemporary world, coming from a past that was completely excruciating and inhumane. Hirsch presents many different holocaust stories, and after having discussed the horrors of the holocaust in class and different types of exile a person like Vladek suffered, Hirsch’s readings seemed just as surreal- all facing many different realities between past and present that plague their lives.
In the quote: “The child who lives is crowded out by the children who were killed, the mother who lives, by the mother who was executed; their lives must take their shape in relation to the murderous breaks in these other, past, lives” (Hirsch 266). The exile felt between Lorie and her mother are because of their past that distorts their reality. Hirsch also explains the cultural memory that combines personal memory of a person with a shared history- so not only do these survivors of the holocaust remember their own suffering, the wide world of so many other person’s pasts become apart of theirs too, exiling them even further.

Images of Children

Marianne Hirsch's provocative article "Projected Memory: Holocaust Photographs" offers many insightful ways to look at images and the messages that they convey. I was particularly interested in Hirsch's discussion of images of children. She poses the question "Why are such a large number of the archival images uses in the texts documenting and memorializing the Holocaust images of children?" (269), citing the boy from Warsaw and Anne Frank among others. My initial internal response was that images of children would undoubtedly evoke even more sympathy from those that view the photographs, drawing attention to their innocence and to the evil they were forced to endure. Hirsch relays Lucy Dawidowicz' response to the question, which is to "bring home the utter senselessness of Holocaust destruction," (271). I found it startling tht only 11 percent of Jewish children survived the "unforgiving ferocity of the Nazi death machine," (271). Hirsch continues to examine the issue by exploring the facets of our culture that make it conducive to being affected by such images: "As recent controversies suggest, our culture has a great deal invested in children's innocence and vulnerability--and at the same time, in their eroticism and knowledge," (272). All of this contributes to why the usage of children in images depicting the horrors of the Holocaust has been so widespread and so effective in conveying emotion.
On a related note, Hirsch contemplates an issue that we had discussed in class, regarding the photographs that appeared in Maus, particularly the inclusion of the photo of Richieu at the beginning of Volume II. According to Hirsch, such an image serves to "haunt us with its strange lifelike presence," and "acts like a ghostly apparition, materially recalling Richieu's absence," (271). Since we had talked about why Spiegelman had decided to include photographs amongst his drawings, I felt this was particularly relevant.

Exile at home?

The article "Projected Memories", by Marianne Hirsch touches on a very specific and real aspect of the exile lived by those who have family members that, went through the holocaust and/or were part of the holocaust themselves but can not remember its atrocity. These individuals can neither live in the past nor the present. They are constantly haunted by a past that they cannot relate to, and they live their present trying to understand what was it, that, happened in the past, so that their life and their family's life would become "public history". It seems like, their place in society, history and most importantly at home is constantly blurred by external memories that are untouchable to them.
When reading this article all that came to my mind was that, even though their families wanted to make them feel at home, and society wanted to acknowledge them (and their family immense struggle) they only drove them further away, and isolated them more than ever; Like in Maus.

Personal and Historical Memories

Personal and Private Memories

Hirsch’s essay is almost directly related to Art Spiegelman’s in Maus. In Maus the main character is trying to write a graphic novel about his father’s experiences during the Holocaust, however he can never truly understand what it was like in those conditions.
Hirsch notices that there are certain photographs that are shown everywhere to represent a particularly harsh event, such as the Holocaust. Photographs of children are predominantly used in order to project a feeling of sadness and hopelessness. To see an innocent child suffering under conditions that adults didn’t survive is heartbreaking, not only for those who were directly effected, but for everyone.
The photographs show a history of a people that follows the next generations of this culture. Even though the photos and writings are personal and can evoke high emotions to certain images, It is still not enough to truly experience what happened. This is the problem of the second-generation, they know that their history was horrible, however they can never experience or truly understand the violence and discrimination felt against their ancestors.

Consistency of Postmemory with link to Maus.

During the reading, the consistency of postmemory is used in this story. In my opinion, some memories of the past, particulary those of the Halocaust should be left as a memory, simply because of the effect it had on a particular ethnic group. The reason being is that no one wants to recall these experiences. However in Hirsch's story, pictures are the primary use for the rememberance of the Halocaust. Also childhood experiences of the Halocaust are discussed. Hirsch seems to be basing her ideas of postmemory from the pictures that still remain of the 1940s and 50s.
With reference to what Jason said, it does in fact relate to Maus. The importance of memory is used as well in Spiegelman's story to create the story of Maus and to relive the experience. All of Hirsch's life is on factural memory of her past, and the interest she takes on defining the term postmemory.

Projected Memories and Maus

While reading Hirsch's Projected Memories Hirsch explores Postmemory. She explains Postmemory as stories a certain group of people or person can only remember based upon images and the stories of others who experiences it first hand. In Hirsch's essay she describes the feelings of second generation Jewish who do not fully understand the dangers their parents or other children went through during the Holocaust. This idea of Postmemory connected to Maus in many ways. In Maus Artie tries to use postmemory to draw his father's story and make other people get an idea of it. He also tries constantly to connect to his father by seeing what his father or other Jewish people went through during Nazi control of Europe. Arties uses postmemory by looking at images, pictures, having his father explain in detail, and by listening to his father's story. Hirsch describes part of postmemory as a traumatic experience that happened to the generation before them that effects them either way. In the case of Artie it is the Holocaust because he never witnessed the Holocaust but it effected his father and therefore effected him. It effected how outsiders think of him and his father. A lot of what has to do with Artie is because of his father's insane habits that is what Hirsch is trying to explain about Postmemory. That the next generations are effected by something they never witnessed. They also can never really understand it, and Artie proves that multiple times during the graphic novel. I use Maus as an example because I think the whole novel is about Postmemory. Artie is trying to build a story about his father that effects him based upon something he's never witnessed, or can fathom. Especially since Postmemory relys so much on pictures, and the graphic novel format used by Maus gave pictures of everything, although they were pictures of mice, and cats, and things you still saw pictures and were given Vladek's explanation of each picture. This made the novel that much stronger because it used postmemory to get Vladek's story out and help you understand just a little bit the struggle that people went through. This is what Hirsch is trying to say about postmemory I feel. It is a tool for people to use to help them easier connect to someone or something.